Thursday 8th February 2024
Opinion in Case C-633/22 Real Madrid Club de Fútbol
(Area of Freedom, Security and Justice – Judicial cooperation in civil matters)
On December 7, 2006, the digital edition of the French newspaper Le Monde published an article, entitled “Le Real Madrid et le Barça liés au docteur Fuentès” (“Real Madrid and Barça linked to Dr Fuentès”). The following day, the article appeared in the print edition, accompanied by an interview with the doctor in question. An extract from the article appeared on the front page, along with a drawing captioned “Dopage: le football après le cyclisme” (“Doping: first cycling, now football”).
The newspaper claimed that Real Madrid Club de Fútbol had retained the services of Dr. Fuentès, the head of a blood-doping ring previously uncovered in the cycling world.
Many media outlets, Spanish ones in particular, shared the article.
The club and a member of its medical team brought actions before the Spanish courts against the newspaper company, Société Éditrice du Monde, and the author of the article for damage to their reputation.
By a judgment of February 27, 2009, the Court of First Instance, Madrid, Spain ordered Société Éditrice du Monde and the article author to pay €300,000 to the club and €30,000 to the member of the medical team. The court also ordered that its decision be published on the inside pages of Le Monde and on the front page and given the same level of prominence as that used to publish the material at issue – in addition to publication in a Spanish newspaper.
Following different judicial steps in the courts of both Spain and France, by its judgment of September 15, 2020, the Court of Appeal in Paris held that the Spanish decisions should not be enforced in France because they were clearly contrary to French international public policy.
The French Court of Appeal concluded that the orders to pay an exceptional amount made against a journalist and a media organisation have a deterrent effect and curtail the media’s ability to perform its information and monitoring role, hence interfering with freedom of expression and, therefore, international public policy.
It then lodged a request for preliminary ruling to the Court.
The referring Court wonders whether a financial penalty imposed for harm caused to the reputation of a sports club and of a member of its medical team by the publication of a story in a newspaper can be deemed to be contrary to freedom of expression, and therefore constitute grounds for refusing to recognise and enforce a judgment.
Donnerstag, 8. Februar 2024
Schlussanträge des Generalanwalts am Gerichtshof in der Rechtssache C‑633/22 Real Madrid Club de Fútbol
Schadensersatz wegen ehrverletzenden Zeitungsartikels
In der französischen Tageszeitung Le Monde erschien am 7. bzw. 8. Dezember 2006 ein Artikel mit dem Titel „Real Madrid und Barça mit Dr. Fuentès in Verbindung gebracht“. Darin wurde berichtet, dass Real Madrid die Dienste von Dr. Fuentès in Anspruch genommen habe, des Initiators eines zuvor im Bereich des Radsports aufgedeckten Blutdopingnetzwerks. Die Veröffentlichung wurde von zahlreichen, insbesondere spanischen Medien aufgegriffen.
Real Madrid und ein Mitglied des medizinischen Teams des Vereins haben Le Monde und den Journalisten, der den Artikel verfasst hatte, vor den spanischen Gerichten wegen Ehrverletzung auf Schadensersatz verklagt, mit Erfolg: Le Monde und der Journalist wurden verurteilt, 300 000 Euro an Real Madrid und 30 000 Euro an das Mitglied des medizinischen Teams zu zahlen.
Im Rahmen der Vollstreckung dieser spanischen Gerichtsentscheidungen in Frankreich wird vor den französischen Gerichten darüber gestritten, ob sie gegen den französischen „ordre public“ verstoßen und deshalb nicht in Frankreich vollstreckt werden können.
Das zweitinstanzliche Gericht nahm an, das die Verurteilung eines Journalisten und eines Presseorgans zu Zahlungen in außergewöhnlicher Höhe zwangsläufig abschreckende Wirkung hinsichtlich ihrer Beteiligung an der öffentlichen Erörterung von Themen entfalte, die für die Allgemeinheit interessant seien. Dies könne die Medien an der Erfüllung ihrer Informations- und Kontrollaufgabe hindern, so dass die Vollstreckung solcher Entscheidungen in nicht hinnehmbarer Weise gegen den französischen „ordre public international“ verstoße, da sie die Freiheit der Meinungsäußerung beeinträchtigten.
Der französische Kassationshof möchte vom Gerichtshof u.a. wissen, ob nach der Brüssel-I-Verordnung und der EU-Grundrechtecharta eine Verurteilung wegen einer Schädigung des Rufs eines Sportvereins durch eine in einer Zeitung veröffentlichte Information eine offensichtliche Beeinträchtigung der Freiheit der Meinungsäußerung und damit einen Grund für die Ablehnung der Anerkennung und Vollstreckung darstellen kann.
Generalanwalt Szpunar legt heute seine Schlussanträge vor.
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